by Samuel Mwanawanjuguna
Saturday August 8, 2026
An undated image of a police vehicle at a crime scene Photo kenyans.co.ke
A 35-year-old man lost an arm after a suspected improvised explosive device exploded in his hands in Mandera Town on Friday evening, triggering a security response.
The blast occurred at about 6:30pm in the Bula Buruburu area, near Holland Sports Ground, according to preliminary police reports and witnesses.
He suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mandera Teaching and Referral Hospital, where he was receiving treatment.
The explosion brought police and security teams to the area, with officers from the Kenya Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, General Service Unit and National Police Reservists responding to the scene.
The Counter-Terrorism Bureau in Mandera has taken charge of the investigation, with officers seeking to establish where the suspected device came from, who assembled it and what the man was doing with it.
Police recovered a mobile phone and a piece of metal believed to have come from the explosive device. The items have been taken for further examination as investigators reconstruct what happened.
Authorities had not identified any person behind the incident by Friday night. However, security officials and residents are concerned about a possible link to Al-Shabaab, which has been blamed for a series of attacks in northern Kenya.
The blast came less than 24 hours after another suspected IED attack in the county left six people injured.
The incidents have heightened concern among residents already facing an elevated security threat along the Kenya-Somalia border.
Thursday's explosion occurred at about 6pm near Odole Village in Elwak Sub-County.
The victims were travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser on the Mandera-Elwak road when the vehicle struck a roadside explosive. The six victims were taken to Elwak Sub-County Referral Hospital, where one was reported to be in critical condition on Friday morning.
The attack was also suspected to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab.
Security reports indicate at least 25 cross-border incidents have been recorded in Mandera, Garissa, Wajir and Lamu this year.
